firearms certified
- Thread starter jus
- Start date
Well...wow..... a wealth of knowledge at my fingertips, sweet. i live on a converted farm (dwellings) and for the last 2 years have been victimized by a local gang smashing windows... so i decided to bear arms and shoot these suckers. i got a daystate X2 .177, as their factory is only round the corner i get an easy service deal. im not a bad shot and manage to nail a few of em but the pellets just bounce off.....
oh i forgot to mention the gang is 3 well persistent crows!! i swear to god they are so damn clever, they sit in the tree sticking their fingers up at me....
i've got to the point where in now obsessed..... lol i guess its vermin control then
They shouldn't really bounce off if you are getting head shots, but if they are too far away then they will. If you are trying to shoot them in the chest don't bother. Pigeons are the worst, their feathers can stop shotgun pellets and crows are similar, if less so.
.177 In my opinion isn't really a hunting calibre when it comes to airguns, it just doesn't pack enough of a punch.
.22 is better and a happy medium is the rare .20 calibre.
However, we can work with it.
Get some .177 Hollow points. Not wad cutters, hollow points and as heavy as you can get. Or very heavy round ones.
Most of the Daystate pellets are light as hell. What are you using?
http://www.airgunbuyer.com/Showproducts.asp?cat=Pellets&SubCat=Pellets
Try "Logun Penetrator" or "H&N Barracuda Match".
If you want to go for accuracy and best performance, try the "Prometheus Defiant" and buy a .177 test pack. You get three different head sizes, for best fit in YOUR barrel, try each size at various ranges to choose which your gun likes.
I also recommend you get a chrono as any responsible shooter should
http://www.airgunbuyer.com/Showproducts.asp?cat=Chronographs&SubCat=Combro%20Chronographs
Next, find a spot near to where the Crows usually sit and build a hide there.
Leave the hide for a week or so, so they get used to it
Now. Here comes the hard to believe "well durr" bit.
Crows can't count.
Walk to your hide, with another person. The crows will fack off just out of range and laugh at you.
Get the second person to leave and walk away.
Crows will come back.
Shoot crows.
I suggest putting out some suitable range markers and make sure you can hit small targets at those ranges as you will be wanting head shots.
Ideal range is less than 30 yards so practice at ranges between 20 and 40 yards.
Use a moderator (silencer).
A good way to bait them, is with some bacon scraps, pegged into the ground with strong wire, so they can't drag them off (also good for rats).
Apart from the fact that paying out for an FAC and the weapon, for 3 crows, seems a little extreme, I would not be comfortable suggesting it, as crows tend to be in trees quite a bit and shooting up at a tree, is something even I would think very carefully about, due to even a .22LR Rimfire round, can go for a mile and still kill someone if you hit them in the right spot.
As for the certificates themselves.
For an FAC you need:
- Application form.
- TWO suitable referees.
- No major convictions
- Cabinet for weapon
- Separate lockable cabinet for ammo.
- GOOD REASON
- Somewhere THEY deem suitable to use it
Before the FLO will even visit you and then you still might not be granted
For a Shotgun you need:
- Application Form
- ONE Suitable referee
- No major convictions
- Cabinet
With a shotgun, you would have a reason seeing as where you live, but you could equally be using it for clays and you do not have to specify where you will be using it, regardless of what they might tell you. Of course, just sya rough shooting on your land (if you don't own it or are not the main tennant, you should have written permission) and also some local clay shoot, just so you have an answer.
There is also no limit to the number of shotguns you may keep, as long as you have sufficient safe storage for them. Meaning, if you only have a 4 gun cabinet, and buy 6-8 shotguns, you will get a visit.
Neither do you need to lock the ammunition away. Obviously, it is sensible to do so, but it is not a requirement. If you left a belt of cartridges in your car and your wife was stopped by the old bill, they can't touch her for having them. You only need a certificate to purchase shotgun ammo, not to be in possession of it.
Does that help?
i got the .177 i was told it had flatter trajectory and would get a greater range with it..... you live an learn.... no matter just got to work round it. im using ft select daystate pellets 8.44 grains, which i gotta say seem pretty consistent and a moderator, but my range is more like 20 - 30 meters. using a mil dot scope and practicing at that range with a target im like 1 - 2 dots on the scope in say a 1" spread on the target. i understand where your coming from regarding the safety, it shouldn't really be an issue due to being surrounded by plenty of farmland, and im not interested in a shotgun (although single slugs are amusing)
skeet you got a number i can buzz you on?
skeet you got a number i can buzz you on?
.177 is flater trajectory although I favour .22 for the whack. Although for advice skeet has covered it. One thing I would suggest is a camo veil or scrim whatever you want to call it. A big white face grinning up at a tree is enough to scare them off and makes a massive difference in results. I thought it was rubbish till I nicked my brothers and it worked wonders.
Jus, im free on mondays, i have my own .22 rifle, get me some pellets and i'll pay you back, sounds like fun to me.
If you do build a hide, dont get funny ideas with us being snugged up inside.
Are crows edible
ps, skeet, do you ever write short posts
If you do build a hide, dont get funny ideas with us being snugged up inside.
Are crows edible
ps, skeet, do you ever write short posts